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Golfing Articles and Tips

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by Mick Euan Tait

In this article I will present some free golf tips for beginners on the golf grip positions. These tips are also for the more experienced golfer that needs to re-evaluate their grip. From the description of the different grip types and positions, you might be able to identify a swing fault such as a slice and learn how to fix it.

The interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the baseball grip (or ten finger grip) are the three basic grip types. For each grip type, there are three grip angles that you can use; control, neutral, and distance. Furthermore, you can apply three different grip strengths; a weak, neutral, or strong grip. Which grip should you use? It will depend on what size of hand and fingers you have, your strength and how you want to play the ball. The most important thing is to find a grip that is comfortable and efficient.

3 Grip Styles

The baseball grip is not used by many golfers because the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more adaptable. It is a grip that gives you good leverage but the problem is that it produces less club head speed which translates into less distance. Some beginners, children or women use this grip but I would recommend they either of the other two grips.

The overlapping grip is good for people with larger hands or longer fingers and is considered by many pros as the best grip to unify the hands. With short fingers, you will tend to place your right hand too far over or under the club when trying to get a comfortable position.

The interlocking grip is similar to the overlapping grip except that the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand. It is the preferred grip of golfers with small hands or short fingers. With this grip, the tendency is to grip the club in the palm of your right hand instead of at the base of your fingers.

3 Grip Angles

The distance grip maximizes the wrists flexibility and is good for distance and also offers sensitivity. Place the grip across the base of the fingers, from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the little finger on the left hand. The disadvantage is that it requires more strength and skill to keep the club head square through impact.

Probably the best grip angle for most golfers is the neutral grip. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to the middle of your palm below the heel pad. You have the most flexibility for any type of shot making ability and it is a good balance between distance and accuracy.

The last grip angle you can use is the control grip which runs from the base of your index finger to the point on top of your heel pad. This grip gives you maximum control for more accuracy but results in less distance due to less flexibility in the wrists.

3 Grip Strengths

Finally, with regards to grip strength, the first is the strong grip. When looking down at your left hand, the “V” between your thumb and forefinger point towards your right shoulder and the point between the two tendons in the wrist should be in line with the right side of the shaft. The strong grip is used to eliminate slicing and is also good for distance. Don’t use this grip if you want to fade the ball.

The neutral strength grip is the ideal grip for the majority of golfers. With this grip you can draw the ball or fade the ball easily. It requires a bit more strength to square the club at impact. This time, the “V” should be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist that I mentioned before will line up with the center of your shaft.

The weak grip is when the point in your wrist is lined up with the left side of your shaft and the “V” points to your chin. This grip can be used to eliminate hooking the ball but you won’t be able to hit a controlled draw. It also requires more strength to square the club at impact.

In Summary

Which ever grip you use, remember that the palms of your hands face each other. The grip is held in the fingers of the right hand and the palm and fingers of the left hand. Also, when gripping the club, leave a half inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified and you should grip the club tightly and consistently throughout the entire golf swing. I hope these free golf tips for beginners for gripping the club will help you with your golf.

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